Shuttle-release mechanism.



J. W. KILLPARTRICK.

SHUTTLE RELEASE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-2|. 1914.

1,156,148. Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

JOHN W. KILLPARTRICK, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHUTTLE-RELEASE MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed August 21, 1914. Serial No. 857,894.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN W. KILL- PARTRICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Mid dlesex and State of Massachusetts-have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Shuttle-Release Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to looms and has for its object to provide a simpleand certain device for relieving the shuttle from the greater, part of the pressure or from all the pressure of the shuttle blnder at the time it is to be picked.

Most looms are provided with binders which are arranged to frictionally engage the shuttle as it enters the shuttle box not only for the purpose of preventing the shuttle fro-m rebounding but also for the purpose of assisting in bringing the shuttle to rest. Such shuttle binders are generally engaged by one or more springs which tend to press them toward the shuttle thereby creating or increasing the friction between the shuttle and its binder. If no means are provided for releasing the pressure which causes the friction, the picker must not only overcome the mertia of the shuttle itself but also the friction between it and the binder. This necessitates a harder blow by the picker than if there were no such frietion and such harder blow requires more power.

My invention is for the purpose of disengaging some or all of the springs which directly or indirectly engage the binder from just before the shuttle is struck by the picker until it has left the shuttle box or has cleared the binder. It is arranged, however, so that before the shuttle has reached the shuttle box and binder at the other end of the lay, the pressure on the binder at'that end has been resumed. By so relieving the pressure of such springs, the power for operating the picker and therefore for operating the loom can be reduced whereby a saving is made, and as there is less power required there is less wear on the parts and consequently fewer supplies are necessary. Not only this but with my invention less attention to the loom is necessary on the part of the loom fixers. For the above reasons more cloth can be produced per loom with less cost.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan viewof the-lay beam of a loom and part of the breast beam. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the details of my construction near one end of the lay beam and breast beam. Fig. 3 is a vertical section enlarged as from the right of line XY in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view similar to Fig. 3 showing different positions of the checking pawl and tooth. forms of pawl nose and tooth which may be used.

The parts which are old and form no part of my invention are the loom frame 9, the lay at the top of which is the lay beam A, the shuttle boxes 40 and 41 at each end of the lay, the breast beam B, the shuttle binders 10 and 50 which are pivoted to the lay beam at -11 and 51 one at each end thereof. Other old parts are the protector shaft 20 which is journaled to the lay, the protector shaft spring 21 which tendsto turn the shaft in such a direction that the binder fingers 22 and 23 will be forced respectively against the free ends of the binders 10 and 50 and the dagger 43 together with frog 44.

P represents the picker and S the shuttle both of any usual construction.

12 and 52 represent the light binder springs which Iprefer to use for the purpose of exerting sufficient pressure upon the binder to keep it in engagement with the shuttle if the shuttle is at that end of the lay beam thereby to prevent it from wabbling or getting out of place.

My invention is applicable to looms whrein the protector shaft is journaled on the front of the lay beam that is the side nearest to the breast beam. In looms of this construction the protector shaft together 'Wlth itsbinder fingers as well as thebinders are all on the front of the lay beam. As the shuttle is picked shortly after the lay has advanced toward the breast beam and is receding therefrom, in order to release the relatively powerful pressure which protector shaft spring 21 exerts through the protectorshaft 20 and binder fingers 22 and 23 upon the binders, it is necessary only to hold or check the top of the binder fingers beginning just before the shuttle is picked and ending after it'has cleared the binders. I might accomplish this by using an additional finger or arm fixed to the protector project forward at the top, the space be- I Fig. 5 shows in detail other tween at 17 beingrelatively flat and even. Between these ears, I pivot a pawl 21 by means of a pin 16 or other suitable means preferably in such a manner that the fiat end 27 of pawl 2-1 is just sufiiciently distant from the flat surface 17 so that the pivotal movement of pawl 24 is limited between a substantially horizontal position as shown by the full lines in Fig. 3 and a short distance above the horizontal. At the under part of the free end of pawl 24: is a nose 26 which has a face 28 nearest the breast beam which preferably curves or slants upward and toward the breast beam and another face 29 which is nearest the lay beam which is substantially-at right angles to the length of the pawl. Directly in front of pawl 24 on the breast beam B, 1 bolt a support 30 which preferably has longitudinal slots 33 whereby by means of bolts 31 it may be adjusted toward or from the lay beam and fastened in place. This support 30 preferably extends back from the breast beam toward the lay beam and carries at this end in a position to be engaged by the nose on pawl 24, a checking tooth 31. This tooth 31 is preferably pivoted between ears 35 and 36 by means of a pin 37 and is flattened at the bottom so that the fiat checking spring 32 may engage it and keep it normally in the upright position as shown in Fig. 3. In this position its face 39 which is nearest the lay beam slants up and toward the breast beam and its face 38 which adjoins the breast beam is substantially vertical and preferably substantially parallel with the face' 29 of nose 26 which adjoins the lay beam.

The checking tooth 31 is placed in the path of the nose of the pivoted binder finger pawl 24. It is clear that as the lay advances, the front face of the nose of the pawl will ride over the back face of the tooth and as the lay recedes the back face of the nose of the pawl will engage the front face of the checking tooth. As the lay continues to recede, as the front face of the must ride'over it to be released. The time.

necessary for the nose to clear the tooth depends upon the strength of checking spring 32 a d the relative angle of faces 29 and 38. To adjust these parts is simply a matter of using a weaker or stronger checking spring and of filing such faces, as may be necessary. This clearing makes a short before it reaches the binder at the other end thereof, the binder finger pawl has released itself and the binder finger is exerting the whole force of the protector shaft spring on the end of the binder. While I might use a gravity pawl, I find that with fast looms it is better to use a returning spring such as 25 attached at one end as 60 to the binder finger 23 and at the other end to a short spring arm 61 integral with the pawl.

In Fig. 5 I show a construction wherein the nose of the pawl has a straight slanting front face 71 instead of a curved face as shown in Fig. 3 while its rear face 72 is substantially vertical. The back face74 of checking tooth 73 is straight and slants upward and forward while its front face 75 is also straight and slants slightly upward and forward.

In order to time the parts properly, I provide for proper adjustment by means of the slotted construction of support 30 for the checking tooth whereby it may be moved forward or back and by making the pawl of flexible metal whereby it can be bent up or down so that its nose may engage more or less of the checking tooth. Other adjustments may be made by filling the respective faces of the noseand-tooth.

While I prefer to hav the front face of the nose and the back face of the tooth both slant upward and forward, one may be so shaped and the other of any desired form.

It is clear that I might use a binder finger pawl on each binder finger with a suitable checking tooth on the breast beam for each. This is unnecessary. however, with my device as both binder fingers are fixed and move together with the protector shaft. As one is checked, the other must also be checked as the lay recedes from the breast beam. I therefore prefer the simpler construction shown.

Any means for checking the free ends of the binder fingers as. they move away from the breast beam with the lay, without checking the lav itself, at the moment of picking the shuttle, comes within the scope of my invention.

My device is very simple and durable and can be placed with very little difficulty upon any loom which has the protector shaft on the front. It is merely necessary to substitute for one'of the'binder fingers, a binder finger of the construction shown, with a pawl pivoted thereto and to adjust upon the breast beam, a suitable support with the checking tooth in operative relation with said pawl. There are no parts to get out of order as the returning spring is not subjected to any particular strain and the nose of the pawl, the tooth, and

results are obtained by using such a spring,

a rubber band or other tension means.

My device includes a finger carried by the protector shaft in a position 'vhich is substantially at right angles with the path of the lay beam, whereby the free end thereof is preferably proximate to a line between the front faces of the binders or to the hinders themselves. To the free end of this finger close to such line or to the front face .of a binder is pivoted or otherwise fastened a pawl 01' other hooked means in a position to engage, when the lay beam recedes from the breast beam, a checking tooth pivoted to the breast beam. Either the pawl should have a spring or the tooth should have a checking tooth spring or both should have springs, the resistance of one or both of which must be overcome before the hook of the pawl and the hook formed by the checking tooth disengage. These parts are so placed and so adjusted that the movement of the free ends of the binder fingers, as the lay beam recedes from the breast beam, is checked at the instant the shuttle is picked, without checking the movement of the lay beam.

I claim:

1. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, shuttle boxes at each end of the lay beam, shuttle binders carried at each end of the lay beam in such position as to bear against the shuttle when the shuttle is in the shuttle box at that end of the lay beam, light binder springs which bear one against each shuttle binder, a protector shaft, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of binder-fingers fixed to the protector shaft in such position as to each bear against a shuttle binder, a pawl having a nose at one end and pivoted at the other end to a binder finger, a returning spring between the pawl and binder finger, a tooth pivoted to the breast beam in position to engage the nose on the pawl. and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

2. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, shuttle boxes at each end of the lay beam, shuttle binders carried at each end of the lay beam in such position as to bear against the shuttle when the shuttle is in the shuttle box at that end of the lay beam, a protector shaft, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of binder-fingers fixed to the protector shaft in such position as to each bear against a shuttle binder, a pawl having a nose at one end and pivoted at the other end to a binder finger, a tooth pivoted to the breast beam in position to engage the nose on the pawl, and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

3. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, shuttle boxes at each end thereof,

shuttle binders carried by the lay beam and adapted to engage the shuttle, light binder springs which engage each shuttle binder, a protector shaft, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of binder fingers carried by the protector shaft in such position as to each bear against a shuttle binder, a pawl pivoted at one end to a binder finger and having a nose at the other end the front face of which slopes upward and forward and the back face of which is substantially vertical, a returning spring between the pawl and binder finger, a tooth pivoted to the breast beam in a position to engage the nose on the pawl and having a front face which is substantially parallel with the back face of the nose on the pawl, and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

4. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, a shuttle binder, a protector shaft on the front of the lay beam, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of a binder finger carried by the protector shaft in such position as to bear against the shuttle binder, a pawl having a nose at one end and pivoted at the other end to the binder finger, a tooth pivoted to the breast beam in position to engage the nose on the pawl, and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

5. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, shuttle boxes at each end thereof, shuttle binders carried at each end of the lay beam in such position as to engage the shuttle, a protector shaft journaled on the front of the lay beam, a protector shaft spring. and a breast beam, of binder fingers carried by the protector shaft in such position as to each bear against a shuttle binder, and means which include a checking tooth attached to the breast beam, and a checking tooth spring for checking the movement of the binder fingers as the lay beam recedes from the breast beam without checking the movement of the lay beam.

6. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, shuttle boxes at each end thereof, shuttle binders carried at each end of the lay beam in such position as to engage the shuttle, a protector shaft journaled on the front of the lay beam, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of binder fingers carried by the protector shaft in such position as to each bear against a shuttle binder, hooked means attached to one of said binder fingers at a point proximate a line between the front faces of the shuttle binders, and other hooked means attached to the breast beam in position to be engaged thereby, one or both of said hooked means being spring pressed toward the other.

7. In a loom the combination with a lay beam, a shuttle binder, a protector shaft on the front of the lay beam, a protector shaft spring, and a breast beam, of a binder finger carried by the protector shaft in such position as to bear against the shuttle binder, a pawl having a nose at one end and attached at its other end to the free end of a finger carried by the protector shaft, a

mamas tooth pivoted to the breast beam in position 'to engage the nose on the pawl, and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

8. In release devices for shuttle binders having a binder, a lay beam, a breast beam, and a spring actuated protector shaft, the combination of a binder finger carried by the protector shaft in such position as to bear against the shuttle binder, a finger carried by the protector shaft in a position at substantially right angles to the path of the lay beam, a pawl carried by the free end thereof and having a nose at its other end, a tooth pivoted to the breast beam in position to engage the nose on the pawl, and a checking spring in engagement with said tooth as described.

In testimony whereof 1, hereto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. KILLPARTRICK.

Witnesses:

JAMES C. REILLY, GARDNER W. PEARSON. 

